Science Videos: Rocks and Soil

We started a new unit this week! Hooray! We started our Science Unit on rocks and soil so I went video hunting and found some real gems! Take a look below. I wrote a brief statement about each and how/why I will use them with my students. Enjoy!

If you have a Brain Pop subscription, the video on soil is AWESOME. It really allows the kiddos to understand the concept of living and non-living things that are important within soil and introduces tons of vocabulary words! You can't play the video without a subscription, but if you want to check out the site, click the image above.

If you are looking for a longer video, here's a Sid the Science Kid video "The Dirt on Dirt." I love how the little guy goes around and interviews his classmates on what they think dirt is made of. It shows students that everyone may have misconceptions.

My students love these little song videos I dig up on YouTube. Here's one on the types of rocks. Short and catchy!

Very interesting, good length of only 7 minutes, and has lots of REAL photos and videos. Also includes the goofy host, so... win/win.

My students had a hard time with the vocabulary word humus, so I found this amazing time lapse video of fruits and vegetables decomposing after 74 days. It sparked tons of great discussions like "why did the strawberries decompose first?" and "why were there new plants sprouting at the end?" My class begged to watch it three times today, so I'm pretty certain they'll know what humus is now. ;)

There are a ton of resources out there for this fun Science Unit and I'm working on a integration unit to put in my TpT store as we speak! In the mean time, enjoy these few videos I've found with your students! Do you have a great video to share as well? Post the link in the comments!

Sunday Blues

I know it's early, but I gotta tell ya, being pregnant just makes me want to stay home and get my house ready! I mean, I'll have all summer to prep the nursery and buy cool things and set up the things I receive from baby showers... but I want to start now! Can you tell I'm excited? I don't even know if this little shrimpy is a boy or a girl yet! (Although, I really think it'll be a girl... anyone else just get a feeling when they were pregnant?).

So this Sunday, I've got a bad case of the Sunday Blues. My sister-in-law has been living with us for a while, but she moved out last month which actually gives us a legitimate guest room! My home office has been crammed into the guest room and it hasn't been very inspiring in there. So now that we have the space, we are renovating my work space as well and I cannot be more excited! I've got so many ideas and pretty much everything picked out and... well... I just want to stay home and make this place my own!

That being said... here's my Sunday Scoop. Because really, there's a LOT that NEEDS doing over these things that I WANT to do. :/

Thanks, Teaching Trio for the fun linky! Still one of my all time faves!

I don't think my Scoop post today needs much elaboration. However, I will ask now for suggestions for things to binge watch after Gilmore Girls. I've already done Friends recently so not that (although I could easily do it again...). What are your thoughts? What are you binge watching right now?

While I'm at it, I'd like to share a new forever freebie that I posted in my store last week. It is a quick printable I created as a Word Work center material, but it's great because I don't ever have to change it! I just make a TON of copies of it and then just change the content. You'll love it. To download the freebie, just click the image below and don't forget to leave a comment on TpT! I'd love to hear how it is working in your classroom.

Happy Sunday, teachers!

Some BIG News!

Happy three-day weekend, teachers! As you know, I've been slower to post on my blog lately. I have been apologizing profusely and feel like an awful blogger... but I've been keeping a secret... It's time to fill you in!

*cue suspenseful music*

That's right, folks! My husband and I are having a baby in August! We have been busy with sharing the news, doctor's appointments, and since I just finished my first trimester, let me tell ya, I haven't felt my best... So although I've been neglecting my blog a bit, now that I'm in my second trimester and feeling great (and hungry), I should be getting a bit better with posting new blog posts as well as new products.

Let's go ahead an discuss what is on your mind: "An AUGUST baby?! You're a teacher!!" Yeah, the timing isn't great. My husband and I have been trying for about a year and I seriously did not plan this timing. The due date is August 19th... which will likely be the first or second week of school where I live. It's unfortunate, but it is what it is. We are delighted to be starting our family. I've decided to take through Christmas break off from work, rather than the customary 12 weeks, because let's be real here... no teacher wants to START their year right before Thanksgiving Break. I'll spend the holidays at home, thank you. ;)

I can't wait to tell my students this week! I found a pack on Ms. DeCarbo's store that she created for her bundle of joy announcement that I snatched up that is perfect! If you want to take a look, click the image below. It's good stuff!

Thanks for understanding my absence, dear readers. I'll try to be more consistent since I don't feel like throwing up anymore (thank the Lord).

Oh dear...

What happened to the first week of February? Where in the WORLD did it go?? This has got to be the fastest time has flown by for me. I feel just awful about neglecting my little blog the past couple of weeks, so I thought, what better way to hop back on board than with a Sunday Scoop! It is one of my favorite linkies, after all. Thanks, Teaching Trio, for providing this one. Love it!

HAVE TO DO:

1. One thing you may not know about me is that I sing. I used to be a Musical Theater major but wound up finishing my college years with a degree in Education. The goal at the time was to teach theater. I fell in love with teaching and although I do teach at a community theater, I wouldn't trade my regular teaching job for the world! My mom is a song writer and she's asked me to come over to her house and record a new song. Let's hope it is a hit!

2. Nothing like waiting till the last minute, am I right? I was SO pooped at the end of last week and when my principal said "plan elsewhere" over the intercom on Friday afternoon, I bolted and took a nap. My lesson plans were put on the back burner. Gotta get them done!

3. My husband's 30th is on Friday AND our class Valentine's Day party is that day as well. I have a lot of shopping to do to get ready! Friday is going to be a big day. Stay tuned for pictures and maybe even a video. My IG and FB pages will be covered with them. :)

HOPE TO DO:

1. I'm working on a fun new product and I'm hoping I can squeeze some work time in today. One can only hope.

2. Bra shopping is probably one of my least favorite things to do in the entire world. But it's that time.... I hope to get it done today, but I won't be unhappy if I don't. Sigh.

HAPPY TO DO:

1. I am just happy to be posting today! I feel so guilty for neglecting my blog for the past couple of weeks. I know that I will definitely be posting again on Friday this week. I've got some fun things to share that day!

If you are not following me on Instagram, get on it! There was a really neat Freebie loop last night that you can still snag the goodies from. Click below to follow me on IG and tap each picture to get the freebies in everyone's profiles. I got some GREAT things to add to my Valentine's Day resources that I will certainly be using this week. Have fun and happy weekend!

Share the love and tag a teacher friend for this awesome freebie loop! Temporary links to the freebie are in each participant's profile. Tap the picture to go to the next freebie and like and follow them all! #freebieloop #freebies #teachersofinstagram #teacherfreebies #teacherspayteachers #teachersfollowteachers #iteachtoo #iteachsecond

A photo posted by Amanda Smith - Daisy Designs (@daisydesignstpt) on Feb 6, 2016 at 3:59pm PST

A PD Weekend

Hey there, readers! It has been a while, I know. I've been battling bronchitis for what seems like forever! I'm feeling a lot better this weekend though, even amidst all the coughing.

Yesterday I went to something called Share Fair Nation in Orlando, FL. It was a STEAM workshop day and it was a really great experience! Click the image below to check out their website.

My principal, myself, and five other teachers from my school in Marion county were the only ones from our district to take the Saturday to go. It was very much worth it. There were TONS of sessions to choose from and it was difficult to choose only 4! I snapped a few pictures but regret that I didn't take more. Hopefully the couple of ideas I'm posting below will inspire you to go to a Share Fair close to you. (Best of all, it was FREE!)

These are two images from the KEVA Planks workshop which was presented by the creator himself. He had some amazing ideas and I was avidly taking notes. My second graders would totally eat this up. Click the pictures above to see more on KEVA Planks. My pictures do not do them justice. I think my favorite activity he introduced was clearing the floor and together making a huge map on the floor with the blocks. My students are currently working on map skills and I love the idea of collaborating together to make a floor map!

This is a snapshot of my FAVORITE workshop I attended. The presenter was incredible and I left feeling incredibly inspired and excited to teach Science (which is already my favorite subject anyway!). This is a picture of my animal cell created out of candy and Fruit Roll Ups. I decided to make it like sushi! This is the workshop I wish I had taken more pictures of, but I was so into it, I completely forgot. Some other activities the presenter had us try are using marshmallows and chocolate chips to create a molecule, using food items to build houses, and of course, the classic toothpick bridge activity. He brought in samples of student Science notebooks that were so amazing, it certainly put mine to shame and I cannot wait to get back to school tomorrow and make our Science notebooks the student-made textbooks they should be.

I also took a workshop on fostering creativity and the art ideas in this workshop were so elaborate and engaging. I was imagining my students working on these STEAM activities and falling in love. I did not take pictures as it was a Power Point presentation, but the link to the website with ALL the images I saw is coming soon. I wrote it down but left it in my notebook which is at school now. I will add it tomorrow!. The website is still under construction, but if you click "Creativity is Key," you'll see all the images I saw. I really want to try the home-made shrinky dinks!

The last workshop I attended was presented by a humorous man with a thick German accent. He was awesome! He had some really great statistics that put into perspective how important STEM is to young students. My second graders are going to benefit very much from the information given in this presentation. The gentleman was from Hand 2 Mind resources and the link it below. They are a bit pricey, but the ideas they have on their site can be used in the classroom with similar supplies if you have them. If nothing else, they are fun to look at and still will give you lots of ideas. The activity we tried was a 4th grade activity of building a tall building that is earthquake resistant. My group totally rocked it. So proud! I also won a T-shirt and a bean bag chair! :)

It is so refreshing to go to some professional development that is exciting! Too often, we go to workshops that are not realistic or leave us bored to tears that don't inspire us to improve our teaching. This was not the case. If you can ever find a Share Fair near you, please take the opportunity to go. We drove almost 2 hours to get to it and it was certainly worth it. Click the image below to check out their website and find one near you.

You get a snow day... I get a sick day...

I woke up this morning to find lots of Instagram shots of "YAY A SNOW DAY!" I cannot handle cold weather, so believe me when I say, that I am not in the slightest bit jealous of the snow. I live in Florida and can barely handle the cold here (sad, I know). Although some of you are getting a day off from school today, I have been out sick for the first time all school year... :(

I am planning on returning tomorrow but the cough I still woke up with today may not allow me to. We shall see. In the mean time, I'm trying to catch up on some Netflix and I'd like to finish my book today. Although I'd love to work on a TpT project today, I'm pretty sure that won't be resting. Sigh. This is dangerous though! I always buy a lot on TpT and Amazon when I'm home sick!

At least I have my fur-babies to keep me company and to keep me warm in my non-snow-day temperature of 51 today (oh my, that sounds pitiful even to me). I found these to make me laugh because I'm telling you every single one of them is true!

If you are home like me and adding things to your TpT cart (like me), check out these fun Winter activities to do with your class when you return from being buried in the snow! Most of my class has never seen snow (myself included)... but we still enjoy a good snowman activity. ;)

Happy Snow Day, Winter friends!

My New Year's Resolution

So, readers, we are a week into 2016. How do you feel? My body is trying to adjust to waking up to an alarm again, washing my hair on a regular basis, and not eating whenever and whatever I want. This was easier 10 years ago, let me tell ya.

I have a love-hate relationship with New Year's Resolutions. I always make a professional/classroom one that I'm pretty good to stick to at least till April (I mean May is like another December, am I right?), but the personal ones I make fall short. I know the reason for this is because I consume myself with my job. This isn't a bad thing because I adore my job. But I always try to do a resolution for me and I rarely follow through.

This year, however, I felt I needed to make a change in myself. You see, I am a book LOVER. My problem with books is though is similar to my problem with Netflix and video games. When I read my books, it consumes me and I binge-read. Well, as a teacher, let's face it... I don't have all the time in the world to binge-read. I'll read a few pages at 11pm and fall right asleep. Now in the summer, it's different. I devour books like there's no tomorrow. But I feel like a part of me is missing during the other 9 months of the year.

So here's my resolution. I will put my phone down earlier at night. I will turn off Netflix and the video games and TpT (so hard!) and I will pick that book up earlier in the evening.

I found this reading challenge floating around Facebook over the Winter Break and it's totally manageable for me. I finally tracked down the image as belonging to Modern Mrs. Darcy. The promise I'm making myself though is that I will not read all 12 books over the summer. I will start now and try to aim for a book a month. I owe this me-time to myself.

Teachers, our job is an amazing one. Our job is also a stressful one. Make time for yourself this year. You deserve it.